Editorial: Standing up and speaking out — young NJ women choose to make a difference

Approximately 13,000 marched in the Morristown March For Our Lives demonstration, a student-led nationwide protest demanding that the lives and safety of students become a priority and to end gun violence and mass shootings in their schools. . March 24, 2018. Morristown, NJ.(Photo: Bob Karp/Staff Photographer)

One of the biggest takeaways this election cycle, and certainly the most refreshing, is the way our young people have rallied to the call of democracy in a way unseen in generations. Across the nation and across North Jersey, our youth have taken a more visible role and chosen to speak out, stand up and seek change in the world in which they are growing up.

As Hannan Adely of NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey reported, this was particularly true of a number of young North Jersey women, who became energized on a variety of political fronts this year, ranging from gun violence, to the #MeToo movement to immigration. Adely, a veteran education reporter, managed to find and help bring together these voices, which have been curated into a single package of essays for NorthJersey.com.

Anyone who is feeling beaten down about divisions in our nation, and about the hostile partisanship that has taken control of our government, must read them. They are words of young women who have decided they are no longer going to sit on the sidelines and let others speak for them, but are going to speak for themselves, with conviction and with confidence.

As Adely wrote, “Young women, including those who haven't yet reached voting age, are leading efforts to register voters, canvass for candidates and educate peers about such issues as gun violence, discrimination and the environment.” What follows are a few excerpts from a few of the essays, but there are more, and a full reading is required to register the level of commitment to civic action these voices represent:

“Every political action, no matter how small, affects our lives, through policies and movements either supported or condemned by our elected officials,” writes Katherine Gazzini of Ridgewood, who is a junior at Academy of the Holy Angels in Dumont. “I believe it is crucial for everyone to be involved in civic life — it is our responsibility as citizens of a democracy to participate and lead.”

“In my lifetime, I hope to see many things change. I hope to see the rise of a generation of people who are less racist, less xenophobic, less homophobic, less transphobic and more open,” writes Gracelda Neri, a senior at Teaneck High School. “I want to see a world where the color of your skin or your gender or your upbringing does not have as much control of your future as your actions do.”

“I am a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement and believe that no man should ever overstep his boundaries because of the political or business power he holds,” writes Erica Williams, a senior at Eastside High School in Paterson. “Women are not objects or things that can be possessed. They are human beings, and they should be treated as such.”

Politically active young people turn into politically active adults, and that is healthy for any nation that strives toward democracy. We can learn a lot about that striving from the voices of these young women. We would do well to listen to their wisdom. Their courage and commitment are a vital part of our national conversation — and will continue to be going forward.

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